Tell Congress to Pass a Strong Climate Bill

Congress just passed a stimulus package that includes strong provisions promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency-an important down payment on our country's transition to a cleaner energy future.

But the science is clear and it's urgent: to prevent the worst effects of global warming, Congress must go further, and it must act now. Comprehensive climate policy can curb global warming while breaking our dependence on oil and putting Americans back to work.

Tell your representative and senators to make passage of a strong climate bill a top priority today.

Letter to

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Comprehensive climate policy can curb global warming while breaking our dependence on oil and putting Americans back to work. With the science growing more alarming every day, we must act now to deeply reduce the global warming pollution that comes from burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests.

* require science-based U.S. emissions reductions of 35 percent below current levels by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050 and ensure a rapid policy response to emerging climate science;

* make emissions cuts affordable and achievable by requiring polluters to pay for their global warming emissions and investing the revenue in clean energy, energy efficiency, and protections for consumers and workers;

* invest at least 4 percent of the revenue in programs that prevent tropical deforestation, which accounts for 20 percent of global emissions; and

* exclude loopholes--such as unlimited "offsets" that allow polluters to postpone emissions cuts in their own facilities and "safety valves" that limit the fees polluters must pay for their emissions. These dangerous loopholes would let polluters delay or avoid needed pollution reductions.